Hour of Code

Guest Post by Tracy Hall (@hallmathcoach), K-6 Math & Science Coordinator

Computers are everywhere! They are in our cars, our thermostats, our coffee makers, and our phones. Computers are as big as an entire room or small enough to fit on your wrist. Computers are a part of our everyday life, and of our workforce. All of these devices have something in common. Behind every device is code. Code is the set of instructions that makes machines work. It may sound big and complicated, but really it’s so simple a child can begin to write codes.  

December 7-13 is Computer Science Education Week. It is a time to bring awareness to Computer Science, one of the most needed skills in the workforce, and to build curiosity in our students through activities such as Hour of Code.

What is Hour of Code?
According to Code.org, "the Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics."

Why learn to code?

• learning to code teaches you that persistence pays off
• helps you not to fear mistakes, but to learn from them
• learning computer science teaches you about learning and teaching
• teaches you how to think and problem solve
• expands creativity

Interested?
Visit Code.org, a non-profit group that aims to encourage people, especially students, to learn computer science. The site offers free activities and planning guides to learn coding for all age groups, along with facts and information about computer science education around the country. There are also videos from some leading voices encouraging students to get involved with computer science. Students can even learn to code with some of their favorite characters:

Will your students be participating in the Hour of Code? Let us know in the comments below, and tweet about it using #DragonsCode!

Resources:
Code.org
CsedWeek.org

9 BOY Tips for Teachers Using QR Codes

QR codes are a quick way to distribute links and other information, which is perfect during the busy back-to-school season. (Need a refresher on what QR codes are and how they work? This article reviews the basics.) 

How to use QR codes to minimize stress at the beginning of the school year

1. Help parents or students quickly enroll in Remind. Link the phone number and enrollment code to a QR code. Participants only have to scan and send the text, and they'll automatically be connected to your Remind class. Learn more about connecting more than just a link to a QR code in this article. Read more about Remind's features by clicking here.
2. Link to a Google Form to collect information digitally. Create a Google Form that asks for contact information, allergies, tutoring times, or anything else you need at the beginning of school (more information on using Google forms can be found here), and link it to a QR code. (More suggestions for collecting parent information digitally are in this blog post.) 
3. Share contact information with parents. Connect a QR code to a mobile number or e-mail address so that parents can quickly contact you. 
4. Share back to school information with parents. Do you typically distribute a paper packet of information in August? Save a tree and impress your class by scanning the papers to PDFs, uploading them to a cloud service like Dropbox or Google Drive, and attaching the document link to a QR code. 
5. Lead your audience to a specific iOS or Android app. Need students to download very specific apps that they may have difficulty finding in the iTunes or Google Play store? Attach one app link per QR code, then collect the QR codes into a collage or photo slideshow so that your audience can quickly scan and download all the apps they need in one sitting. 
6. Create a welcome message. You can attach freely-formatted text or an audio recording to a QR code, so it's like a secret, "welcome back" message for students. Read more about freely-formatted text codes by clicking here. Create an audio QR code by using Vocaroo or Croak.it. 
7. Share your Twitter profile to make connections. You can connect to your overall profile, a specific tweet, or the last tweet from a user. Learn more in this blog post. 
8. Sign in for tutoring or club meetings. Create a Google form that just asks the student for their name. Link that form to a QR code. When students come to tutorial or club meetings, they can scan the code, type their name, and submit the Google form. This creates a time-stamped document so you can tell who attended and when they were there. 
9. Need students to visit a link quickly and can't use AirDrop? Turn the link into a QR code!

Ways to Share QR Codes

1. Display the code(s) on the Promethean board. (You may need to turn the classroom lights out for this to work.)
2. Print the code and post on a wall or on your door. 
3. Need to print but don't want to use a lot of paper? Insert one code into a photo collage or PowerPoint, print several small copies, and distribute the slips of paper in student backpacks.
4. Sharing several codes? Insert the photos of the QR codes into a photo slideshow (PhotoPeach and PhotoSnack are free options); the audience can scan as the photos rotate. (You can even include a caption on each photo so the audience can keep track of which codes they've seen and scanned.)
5. E-mail it. 
6. Working with newer iPads? AirDrop the QR code(s) into your class's camera roll. 

How to Make a QR Code

There are a ton of options, but here are some common web-based QR code generators:

• Kerem Erkan (my personal favorite because it allows you to attach so much to a code)
• QR Code Generator
• QR Stuff
• QR Maker
• GoQR.me

Social Learning by Teens: Increased motivation, dopamine release, social media, and informal learning spaces.

Author David Price, @DavidPriceOBE in Six Powerful Motivations Driving Social Learning by Teens, writes because of the social media space, there has been a profound shift in how knowledge travels. Students' personal learning networks of friends, forum users, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram followers allows for a "lateral spread" (vs. traditional vertical, trickle down) of knowledge and learning socially.

The social space has removed entry barriers and democratized learning, making learning more about "taking action" than "knowing about" (Price, 2015). Tweets and videos that go viral have a scientific reason and the reward of dopamine release which helps increase motivation and "stamp in" memories (Lilian Kantz).

"Do it yourself, do it now, do it with friends, do it for fun, do unto others and do it for the world to see" dominates the social space style of learning according to futurist David Price.

In her article How to Integrate Live Tweets into Your Presentation author Pamela DeLoatch (@pameladel) references  social media research from the Pew Research Center report:

• 95% of teens aged 12-17 are online
• 78% of teens have a cell phone and nearly half of those are smart phones
• 74% of teens access the Internet through a phone or tablet
• 81% of teens use social media (facebook or Instagram)
• 24% of teens have a Twitter account. 

Social Media in the classroom: 

Instagram

If 81% of teens are using social media; Instagram and Facebook (Pew Research Center), a picture is worth a thousand words for educators to tap into a student-centered resource.


Niclole Long @MRSLongFCPS in her blog writes of The Benefits of Instagram for Teachers

Share Pictures of Notes and Work: post a homework board, reminders and assignments. Students can favorite (to save). This is a fast way to get homework out to students with the added attraction of "photos".

Post Photos of Student Work and Accolades: taking photos of student work, activities and projects is a great way to give acknowledgement of student achievement and creating a student-centered Social media sphere in your classroom.

Make Connections and Stay in Touch With Educational Figures: By following other educators and posting "real time" photos of school events like baseball games, this is a great time to slip in reminders of projects or homework.

Twitter

Research reports that 24% of teens have a Twitter account (Pew Research Center) and this student familarity with technology and social media outside of class makes it easier to integrate and use as a tool in the classroom.

The reward of "dopamine release" that is created in response to social media requests and activity, increases motivation and help "stamp in" memories in the social media learning style ( Lilian Kantz).

In her article How to Integrate Live Tweets into Your Presentation author Pamela DeLoatch, @pameladel recommends creating a general class Twitter account and has put together a guide , The Ultimate Twitter Guidebook for Teachers for the basics of getting started on Twitter.

DeLoatch recommends Tweeting your students before the presentation and let them know of expectations and how to participate.

• To test for understanding during the lecture, students can send out direct messages with questions and the teacher can set up a simple yes or not Twitter poll. 
• By encouraging a real-time backchannel using Twitter encourages student to collaborate with their questions and thoughts. 
• By Tweeting it forward, students share with the whole Twitterspheare and establish a journal of the presentation for future reference. 

Other uses of Twitter in the classroom include:

• Tweet upcoming due dates and use Twitter as a virtual bulletin board. 
•  Carroll ISD teacher, Judy Leddy @questdragons at Walnut Grove Elementary uses Twitter to engage with the community and Tweet live projects. 
• Network with other educators and connect with other classrooms.
• Ask questions and post supplementary materials. 
• Provide your class with a live news feed and post videos. 

Related Posts: 

9 Awesome Gamification Examples In The Classroom

Inspiring Q&A with Technology 

Alternate Book Reports for 21st Century Learning

Favorite Finds from TCEA

Guest post by Randy Stuart, Executive Director of Technology

Favorite Ideas:
I think there is always a struggle to either do things the way that they have always been done or to move toward a new, lesser known path. One of the presenters, Kristen Swanson (@kristenswanson), shared with campus leaders three points that I think are essential in moving education forward toward continuous improvement. (More info)

1. Education is fundamentally different in a networked world. If you have spent much time in education you know that it can be a trendy group, and changes fly in and out regularly. Sometimes we are prone to just say “this too shall pass.” However, technology in education is not a passing fad, and it will affect all of what we do. With the availability of apps that solve math equations and show the answer, we must focus more on the learning than on the answer. With the ease of accessing information, we must shift from teachers being the source of all knowledge, to teachers being the facilitator, helping students wrestle and learn from the abundance of information that is available and to do so safely.
2. Effective professional development in a networked world is about relationships. Learning in the classroom is more about relationships than information, and this is even more important in working with adult learners. Adult learners are busy and need to have learning more tailored to their practice for it to be most effective. Those who are stepping out into the tech unknown need to share their experiences with others. Improving our instructional technology practices will happen best as the cloud of relationships we have works together to learn and grow.
3. Learning is messy, but it has a pattern. Gone are the days of silent students in rows reading, and a teacher with a ruler at the ready waiting to strike the student that makes a peep. Learning is best when we are engaged and excited about the material. The framework Mrs. Swanson presented was:
1. Curation - Where we group and organize information.
2. Contribution - Where we share and collaborate our learning.
3. Reflection - Where we synthesize and make connections with prior learning. 

Click here to englarge.

Favorite Tool

Learning Management Systems (LMS) – The vendor area was full of LMS, and many of the sessions at TCEA this year were dealing with LMS. While LMS have been around for a long time, it seems like this latest generation has finally gotten its act together and is ready for the mainstream classroom. Today’s LMS makes it so easy for students to collaborate, receive assignments, and turn in projects from any device. It also makes it super easy for teachers to grade materials and to provide video or audio comments about the student’s work. This is going to make a huge impact on education.

Favorite Tech Gadgetry 
Microprocessors - Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone Black, Arduino…Though these have crazy names, the opportunity for learning with these powerful little devices is amazing. Combine the influx of microprocessors along with a mixture of great programming environments like M.I.T.’s Scratch (simple enough for even early elementary programmers), and you get awesome STEM learning in real world ways. Robotics was also a big part of this year’s conference, with Lego’s latest Microprocessor, the EV3, which gives students the ability to program and test their program on real life animated robots (which can also be programmed by Scratch!). Not to mention the interworking of MakerBot’s 3D printing of Minecraft objects, my mind is exploding with creative ideas!

Favorite Finds

Last week I had the opportunity to attend some great sessions at the TCEA Conference. I enjoyed collaborating and learning from technology leaders through the face-to-face sessions I attended. I also enjoyed being able to follow fellow conference attendees on Twitter as they shared resources and information using the conference hashtag, #TCEA15. It was especially beneficial to debrief with fellow Dragons and talk about how to apply the knowledge and ideas we gleaned. Carroll ISD was well represented by Teachers, Coordinators, Principals, and the Technology Department.

As we reflect on our learning, the Instructional Technology Team, along with other TCEA attendees, will be sharing some of our “favorite finds”—web sites, apps, and ideas—with you over the next couple of weeks. I hope you will find an idea, resource, or web site that inspires you to try something new. 

Here are my Top 3 Favorite Finds:

• Innovation Day- The idea of an Innovation Day is so exciting as we strive to teach our students to take ownership of their learning. What better way to do this than to plan a day in which they can work on anything they want!
• An entire day is dedicated to self-directed learning.
• Students can work on ANYTHING THEY CHOOSE.
• Students must show evidence of their learning.
• Teachers are the guide on the side.
• Workspaces are organized by interest groups.
• NO GRADES are taken.
• NO AWARDS are given
• Plickers (free) Not enough devices in your classroom? Plickers is a simple, formative assessment tool that allows teachers to use their mobile device to collect data without the need for student devices. Students respond using downloadable response cards. Response cards, Apple and Android apps are all available on the Plickers web site.
• Post-It Plus App (free) I love post-it notes for brainstorming and collaboration. Now with the app, you can have the best of both worlds. You have the visual and kinesthetic appeal of the physical post-it notes. And with the app, you can easily scan all the post-it notes to digitize your ideas. Once scanned, you have the ability to organize them digitally and share in a variety of formats!

Blendspace

Blendspace (formerly Edcanvas) is the perfect, free web tool for organizing and streamlining your media materials. In a matter of seconds, you can sign up for a free account and begin creating lessons using video, Google Docs, images, web links, and so much more. Have a PowerPoint that you've created? Pull that in to your lesson too! The possibilities are endless! 

Classroom Application
Differentiated Instruction
Flipped Classroom
Project-Based Learning
Student Projects (They can create their own “lessons”!)
Sharing materials with colleagues

Creating Lessons
While users have the option of creating classes, it's not a necessary step for lesson creation. After choosing, “New Lesson” users can select a layout and get right to adding content. Content can be pulled from a huge variety of sources and everything is searchable right through the Blendspace site. Once you've found what you need, drag and drop it to your lesson. You can also search the gallery for lessons/collections created by other users. Click here to view a sample lesson from the gallery.

Want to assess your students as they progress through the lesson? No problem! Users also have the option to add multiple choice assessments. Want more options? Create a quiz in Google Forms and add the form as a web link in your lesson!

Sharing and Collaborating
Lessons may be shared to classes that have been created or through a link. Users may also share or embed lessons on the web. Privacy settings can be tailored to fit your needs, and teachers have total control over who can view the lessons. Do you want your team members to be able to add content? Add them as collaborators in settings. No need to worry when sharing lessons with others because the site is web based and works with any device that has Internet.

Creating Classes
Per the Terms of Use, students under 13 may use the program with parental permission. Teachers can set up the accounts or have the students use join using a unique code. No email is required from students. One of the benefits of creating classes is the lesson tracking feature. Students can add comments to the lesson, and they can also check the "Can We Go Over This In Class?" box to notify the teacher that some material may need further discussion. Teachers can view the stats and see feedback from the students.

How do you see Blendspace being used in your classroom? Let us know in the comments below. Then create your free account and get started!

** Shout out to Candice Karas at Old Union Elementary School for sharing this awesome tool with me this summer!

Collaborate Using Padlet

Padlet (formerly Wallwisher) is a web based collaborative tool that can be used in any classroom from elementary to high school. Posts to this virtual bulletin board appear in real time, offering the opportunity for collaboration and discussion. Once you create a free account, you are ready to create your first wall.

How can Padlet be used in the classroom?

• Embed a picture or video and have students respond.
• Post to the wall for brainstorming or create a KWL chart.
• Group discussions or research, book talks, exit tickets
• Click here and here for more ideas and examples.

What you need to know to get started:

• Click the wheel to access settings for your board. You can add a title and description for your wall, and change the board's background. 
• Layouts: Streaming looks much like a Twitter feed with posts placed one below the other. Freeform allows posts to be placed and manipulated anywhere on the wall.
• Your wall is accessed through a unique URL. Students do not need an account to access or post.
• Privacy Options: Walls can be public or private and could require a password to access if you choose. You can also adjust the rights for users depending on your needs. Users can be set to read only or you can allow them to post to the wall. 
• Walls can be shared or saved in a variety of ways (social media, export as a PDF or image, embed in a blog or website).

What can be posted to the boards?

• Double clicking anywhere on the wall will create a post.
• You can type text, use a webcam to take a picture, insert web links, images, documents, or video. You can also drag and drop files to the wall. 
• Posts can be easily deleted by clicking the trash can.
• Moderation: If you choose to moderate posts you will need to approve each post before they can go live on the page. 

Are you a Google Chrome user? Get Padlet's Chrome App!

Kidblog

Kidblog is an easy to use, completely ad free blogging platform created specifically for K-12 teachers and students. Basic service is free, but you can upgrade at a monthly or yearly fee for more features. Research shows that blogging can help improve students’ critical thinking skills. In addition, blogging allows students the opportunity to interact in a digital community and practice good digital citizenship. So, where do you begin?

Getting Started
Simply click “Create a Class” from the Kidblog website to create a free account. Once you have an account, you can enter the Teacher Dashboard to add classes, students, etc. Students can be added individually or through bulk upload. They can also register themselves through the “secret code” attached to your account. No student e-mail is required.

Privacy
Blogs are set as private by default. Privacy settings can be adjusted by the teacher to make the blog viewable by all visitors or restricted to only users in the class. Parents can be set up as guests in order to view and comment on posts. Even though the site is moderated by the teacher, it's a good idea to talk with students about expectations for sharing and communicating online. Blogging can be a wonderful opportunity for lessons on digital citizenship and online safety.

Posting & Commenting
Both the teacher and students can post blog entries through the web or iPad app. Posts can also be customized by adding photos or anything with an embed code (Animoto, Vimeo, Voki, Glogster, etc.). Posts can appear on the blog immediately, or they can go to the “pending” approval area of the teacher dashboard. If the approval box is checked, the teacher will get an e-mail notification that posts are awaiting approval. Just like posting, blog comments can be sent for approval before becoming viewable. Commenting can be open to all site visitors, limited to class members only, visible only to the student who created the post, or disabled completely.

A Few Ideas for Use
- Student reader response journals
- Writing journals
- Student collaboration & projects
- Book reviews
- Discussions (any subject)
- Evaluate peer writings
- E-Portfolios

Blogging can be a great tool in any subject area for all levels of students. Click here for a great website with ideas for using Kidblog as an assessment device, tutorials for setup, and other resources.

AURASMA - Augmented Reality for Your Classroom

Imagine your student holding his or her smart phone or iPad up to a book cover, as if to take a picture. Now imagine the book cover coming to life as a video of a student giving a book review begins to play. With the free app Aurasma, that’s exactly what can happen in your classroom! You can watch a short clip of Aurasma in action here and here.

Aurasma is a free augmented reality app for iOS and Android devices that allows users to layer video on top of any image. Think of it as a QR Code, but way more fun. Users can create “Auras” on their device using the Aurasma app or on their computer using the Aurasma Studio account.

Aurasma terms to know:
- Trigger Image: The picture that you want to enhance.
- Overlay: The media you layer on top of the trigger image (usually a video).
- Aura: What pops up when your device scans the trigger image.

So, how could you use Aurasma in your classroom?
- Word walls or vocabulary
- Interactive Bulletin Boards
- Book covers or specific book pages
- Posters
- Student art
- Homework or project descriptions/directions
- Virtual Tours/Field Trips

How to get started:
Erin Klein has a great step by step guide to creating Auras and using them in the classroom. You can find her site here.

Where do you see Aurasma fitting in to your classroom or school? 

Time to Learn!

Let the learning begin! We will be attending the 32nd TCEA Annual Convention & Exposition this week.  TCEA’s five-day convention is one of the largest educational technology conventions in the nation and the largest in Texas. There will be astounding professional development, hands-on and peer-to-peer learning opportunities, exploration of new trends through interactive learning environments, in-depth presentations from educational technology experts, and inspiring keynotes. If you want to know more about a specific topic, email your Instructional Technologist by Tuesday. We will be glad to gather information on that topic for you. Also, check our blog during the week for new and exciting information learned at the convention.

Websites of the Week:  Looking for resources for Black History month?  The first site is hosted by the library of Congress and the second site is from the Smithsonian. Put the power of primary sources to work in the classroom. Browse ready-to-use lesson plans, student activities, collection guides and research aids.

·       http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/

·       http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/resource library/african_american_resources.html

Tips of the Week:

·        Are you fed up with getting bugged by messages asking if you'd like to join this or that Wi- Fi network? Then head to Settings, Wi-Fi, and turn off Ask to Join Networks. You can still join any network that will have you from this same screen, it just won't bug you constantly when the opportunity arises.

·        Double-clicking the Home button shows you all the apps that are running on your iPad.  They are displayed in a bar along the bottom of the screen. Hold down an app until it jiggles, then press the red minus to close the apps. Just swipe the screen downwards to remove this bar.

Digital Learning Day is February 1, 2012!

Are you looking for some quick and easy ways to celebrate Digital Learning Day with your students?  Check out the sites below to find new ideas or post a comment and tell us about an innovative project that you’re doing in your classroom.

• Browse the teacher toolkits on the Digital Learning Day web site:Teacher Toolkits
• If you need a polling or photo tool, you can visit this site and find a variety of tools organized by the type of task.Web Tools 4 U 2 Use
• To read more about Digital Learning Day, follow this link. Digital Learning Day

Website of the Week:
Need an online time for your Promethean board? Here’s a nice vintage kitchen timer or would you prefer the egg timer? Check it out… Timerrr

Tip of the Week:
Just in time for Valentine’s Day....here's a new multi search tool from Google called, What Do You Love? Go to WDYL.com  and search for your favorite football team or puppy dog. Then, click the heart button.